At least 546 people were killed and 549 others abducted in 174 insecurity incidents recorded across Nigeria in April 2026, according to a new conflict tracker report released by HumAngle.
The report revealed that there was an increase in killings across Nigeria in May compared to the 453 fatalities in April.
The report released on Wednesday showed that April recorded the highest number of insecurity incidents since the beginning of 2026, with the North-west emerging as the worst-hit region.
According to the report, Zamfara State recorded the highest number of insecurity incidents during the month with 32 cases, followed by Sokoto with 29 incidents and Borno with 17 incidents.
“The North West region has the highest number of incidents throughout April,” the report stated, adding that “a regional shift in conflict casualties marks the insecurity trend in April.”
North records highest casualties
Despite the North-west leading in incident frequency, the North-east recorded the highest number of fatalities with 217 deaths, followed by the North-central with 161 fatalities, while the North-west recorded 153 deaths.
Across the southern regions, only 15 fatalities were documented with South-west recorded eight deaths, South-east five, and South-south two.
The report identified Yobe State as the deadliest state in April with 127 fatalities, followed by Niger State with 66 deaths, Zamfara with 57, and Borno with 48 fatalities.
Kidnappings persist
The report also highlighted widespread abductions across several states, with 50 kidnapping incidents recorded nationwide in April.
Zamfara and Sokoto states accounted for the majority of the kidnappings. According to the report, 251 persons were abducted in Zamfara while 211 were kidnapped in Sokoto.
Other states affected by kidnapping incidents included Kaduna, Katsina, Kwara, Niger, Benue, Cross River, Kogi, Ondo, Ekiti, Bauchi, and Edo.
The report noted that mass abductions surged on specific days during the month, particularly on April 2 when 190 people were abducted. Additional spikes were recorded on April 8, 17, and 23.
Violence against civilians dominates
The report said violence targeting civilians remained the most prevalent form of insecurity during the month.
According to the report, incidents classified as “violence against civilians” occurred 118 times and resulted in 312 deaths.
Other categories included 16 battle incidents with 32 fatalities; five explosions or remote violence incidents resulting in 110 deaths; seven riot incidents causing 13 fatalities; and two strategic development incidents with no recorded deaths.
The report observed that although incident frequency remained relatively moderate in some periods, attacks became increasingly lethal.
“For this, the month experienced the occurrence of high-impact, mass-casualty terrorist attacks and military operations rather than low-intensity violence,” the report stated.
It added that the rising lethality suggested either improved operational capacity among armed groups or serious gaps in civilian protection systems.
The report also identified three major insecurity trends in April: increasing lethality of attacks, frequent mass abductions, and persistent multi-actor violence across the country.
“These patterns point to gaps not just in security response, but in early warning systems, intelligence coordination, and civilian protection mechanisms at the local level,” the report stated.
